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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654527">Weathering the Storm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/brownsugarheartattack2/pseuds/brownsugarheartattack2'>brownsugarheartattack2</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, No Sailor Senshi, POV Chiba Mamoru, Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:14:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,375</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/brownsugarheartattack2/pseuds/brownsugarheartattack2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mamoru succumbs to peer-pressure and joins his co-workers for the annual ski trip, where he runs into someone unexpected from his past. AU. No Senshi. Aged up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Weathering the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjetteTwitch/gifts">NinjetteTwitch</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>AN: I wrote this as a gift for my dear friend and beta NinjetteTwitch for a mini Moonie fic exchange with a few fandom friends!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Twitch, you had asked for UsaMamo snowed in so I wrote this fic and I hope you like it. *GIANT RED HEART*</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I would also like to thank my dear friend Daikon for beta-ing this for me. Since this was a surprise gift for Twitch, Daikon kindly helped me with this fic. Without her, my first full-fic would have never seen the light of day. She basically held my hand through every part of this fic and made it a million times better! *GIANT RED HEART*</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am very new to the fandom and highly encourage you to partake in exchanges! They are a great way to engage with other members of the fandom. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic! Oh and any mistakes you see are my own!</em>
</p><p>°•❄°•°❄°•°❄•°</p><p>Mamoru could barely keep his eyes open near the end of his long, treacherous drive to Hakuba Valley. He began mentally kicking himself for succumbing last-minute to peer pressure and agreeing to join the hospital staff this year for their annual ski trip.</p><p>As a doctor recently out of residence, he felt he had to keep his non-existent social life and his professional life separate; however, this year, the hospital staff had been overly concerned with his attendance. He suspected their sudden curiosity in his RSVP-status was heavily influenced by a certain tall brunette, Yuki.</p><p>The more Mamoru turned her down, the more she persisted. Yuki was pretty, but she wasn't <em>her</em>.</p><p>Mamoru recalled her slightly dishevelled blonde streamers, daggers for blue eyes, and flushed cheeks. He'd noticed everything and teased her mercilessly for drawing out his attention without having done anything. It was the only way he'd mustered the courage to speak to or interact with her.</p><p>Teasing her kept him in her orbit while feeling like he would never measure up to who she deserved. She was sunshine and rainbows, while he was the complete opposite and incapable of being loved.</p><p>So he'd done what any love-struck, overly obsessed semi-stalker would do. He'd moved out of Azabujuban and lost touch with everyone except Motoki.</p><p>It had been years since he had seen her. Probably for the best. And that's all that he told himself every time he thought of her, partly to soothe the voice inside his head that would call him a coward for not going after her. For never telling her how he felt.</p><p>
  <em>Who was he kidding? She would have rejected him.</em>
</p><p>Breaking away from his reminiscence, he pulled into Morino Chalet's parking lot and parked his car. He checked in at the main guest cabin and toyed with the idea of joining the rest of his colleagues. Instead, he decided to catch up on sleep. He'd reserved the most secluded cabin to hide away from them, after all.</p><p>Cool crisp air filled his lungs rapidly as he struggled walking towards his sanctuary. The third law of motion slowly failed him with each step he took, as he could barely keep up walking against the snowy-wind gust.</p><p>Finally, he entered the cabin. Not bothering with the closet, he stripped his soaking outerwear and allowed them to air dry in the genkan.</p><p>His face began to warm and he was greeted with the smell of cabin wood and the dimly lit fireplace. Normally, he would call the notion dangerously irresponsible, but he was oh-so-thankful for the neglectful staff that had left the fireplace lit.</p><p>He made his way over to one of the large windows in the living room. The wind picked up, and he watched the snowflakes get blown in all directions in their race to hit the ground. Mamoru had hoped to catch the sunset, but the four-turned-six hour drive made sure he'd missed that.</p><p>Mamoru yawned, pulled out his cell phone, and sent a short group-text to his co-workers of his arrival status and that he would see them in the morning. He didn't bother turning on the lights on his quest to raid the mini-fridge. To his surprise, it was <em>well</em> stocked with desserts and a dozen nikuman.</p><p>A few nikumans later, he made his way over to the brown couch—licked red in parts by the dancing flames—and sank into the soft cushions, venturing off to dreamland.</p><p>°•❄°•°❄°•°❄•°</p><p>Mamoru's eyes darted open in fright when a loud thud emitted from the bedroom. He thought it was a small animal seeking shelter in this blizzard until another thud echoed through the cabin.</p><p>
  <em>A larger animal? A serow? A snow monkey?!</em>
</p><p>It was the middle of the night and the dimly lit fireplace was his only source of light. He needed the element of surprise and moved to the kitchen on the balls of his feet. He grabbed a frying pan in one hand and tiptoed to outside of the bedroom door and slid it open ever-so-slowly.</p><p>The intruder immediately jumped out of the darkness and tackled Mamoru to the ground, much like what he would have expected from a snow monkey. Except he found the intruder was bigger than a snow monkey.</p><p>Smooth legs and soft curves brushed against his arms, and he realized with a jolt of dawning horror that it was actually a petite female human. She quickly braced herself on top of him and began hitting his chest.</p><p>"Waiiit!" He held up his hands in an attempt to show that he came in peace and tried his best to make her feel safe. "I'm not going to hurt you! Please! There's been a misunderstanding!"</p><p>Attempting to block the intruder's vicious attacks, Mamoru's hands landed on her chest for a brief moment. He jerked his hands away and stuttered an apology, then resumed reassuring her that he was not going to hurt her.</p><p>"Hentai! Get your hands off me!"</p><p>Mamoru's hands dropped to his chest upon hearing her voice—<em>stunned</em>—he was so sure who he heard was a figment of his sleep-addled brain.</p><p>She quickly noticed his immobile hands and using all her strength and body weight, she caged him by pinning his wrists to the floor. Usagi continued shouting profanities and repeated that she '<em>knew karate</em>' and could '<em>totally fuck him up</em>.'</p><p><em>She was real</em>. And the feel of her weight on top of him made his heart leap out of his chest.</p><p><em>Waitttt what was she doing in Hakuba!? AND HOW DID SHE GET IN HERE? </em>A bitter-sweet combination of anguish, euphoria, lust, and inadequacy left Mamoru in the same state he always found himself when it came to Tsukino Usagi—utterly confused on how she unknowingly made his heart do cartwheels.</p><p>"Odango, it's Mamoru..." He whispered trying to soothe her fears. "I'm not going to hurt you." His eyes searched for hers to check for understanding in the low incandescent light.</p><p>Usagi's rapid breathing slowed and after it'd returned to a near-normal rate, she fixed her gaze on his face for recognition.</p><p>Her pitch rose. "Baka?!" Her mouth fell open as she did a double-take on his face with her widening eyes.</p><p>His expression softened even more as he studied her face. "You can release my hands whenever you feel safe." He reassured her. <em>But please stay like this forever</em>.</p><p>A flush swept across Usagi's cheeks and she let out a nervous laugh. She quickly released his hands and swerved her body away, ending their scuffle with her sliding off and seating herself next to him, the cool floor causing her to shiver.</p><p>Mamoru got to his knees and placed his hands on Usagi's waist to help her off the floor as he stood up. Once they found their footing, Mamoru realized his hands were still on her waist; he blushed and quickly brought them back to his side.</p><p>The intensity of her skin—veiled in a silk bathrobe—tingled his fingertips and the sensation lingered too long for Mamoru's liking. He'd never been <em>this close to her </em>or <em>held </em>her before today. And that bothered him even more.</p><p><em>Mamoru needed to see her. </em>So he rushed away from her to turn on the light switch.</p><p>"Sorry for scaring you…" Mamoru began muttering to the wall as he turned to face her. Seeing her again—grown into her curves but still with messy odangos and all her imperfections—took his breath away. She had changed and yet remained the same and—</p><p>
  <em>God, she was so fucking beautiful.</em>
</p><p>Even more than whatever version of her he created in his mind to rule over him in his dreams. "And sorry for the touching… so sorry, it… it was an accident." He was helpless and his stuttering couldn't be helped.</p><p>"What touching? ! And what are you sorry for, Baka? I'm sorry for jumping on you and scaring you." She blinked rapidly in concern and she stepped towards him and placed her hand on his arm. "And the hitting… OH MY GOD, I HIT YOU SO MANY TIMES, ARE YOU OK? OH MY GOD, I AM SOOO SORRY!" Her proximity, touch, and scent intoxicated Mamoru.</p><p>
  <em>He was floating.</em>
</p><p>Her eyes still held the power to freeze Mamoru in his tracks and yet his eyes momentarily wandered down her body to study her. <em>Oh, how he wanted to run his hands all over her.</em> Seeing her in the light made him stop while all the blood in his body rushed either to his face or below his belt. <em>Get a grip baka, you just scared the shit out of her.</em></p><p>"Baka, are you ok?"</p><p>Mamoru chuckled to cover any sign of tension. "I'm fine. It hurt a lot less than shoes and test papers being thrown at my head."</p><p>Usagi flushed and Mamoru's heart fluttered. "Baka, don't even <em>start</em>—" She yelped and stepped back. "Wait, how did <em>you </em>get in here?"</p><p>"I rented the room."</p><p>"No way! I checked the reservation this afternoon before I got in, and there was no reservation for a <em>Chiba Mamoru</em>. I wouldn't have snuck in if I knew <em>you </em>rented the room."</p><p>Disappointment washed over him hearing her disdainful tone. <em>At least she'd remembered his name. That had to count for something, right?</em></p><p>Over the years, he'd pictured seeing her again under more favourable circumstances and imagined that, with time, she may begin to feel more neutral towards him. That he might have some sort of fighting chance at one day maybe winning her over, becoming friends, and maybe even mustering up the courage to ask her out. On a date. He would take her anywhere she wanted to go.</p><p>After their date, instead of with his words, he would tease her with his hands if she let him, and in ways that would lead her to release her blonde streamers and cause her cheeks to flush. Mamoru wanted nothing more than her impatient eyes looking back at him as he took his sweet time. With his hands, lips, tongue, teeth, and his—</p><p>He snapped himself out of his fantasies before his thoughts became evident. Mamoru's eyes met hers, masking his disappointment since time hadn't softened her after all. "We got double-booked."</p><p>"I don't have a reservation." She looked down at her pink-painted toes. "I work here…" She muttered.</p><p>"You work here? Did I get the wrong room and come to the staff's cabin? It's not a big deal because we can shar—"</p><p>"This isn't a staff cabin. They don't know I sneak in here every so often to use it…" She confessed in a muffled tone.</p><p>She still possessed the ability to ignite a fire within him without really doing anything other than being Usagi—something he did not fully understand or did not know what to do with, and so he did what he always did best when it came to all things involving her: be a baka.</p><p>Mamoru quirked an eyebrow and teased. "So you sneak in here periodically and use the bed for the night, Odango? I see some things never change."</p><p>And since Mamoru didn't know how to behave around Usagi, he was unable to stop his ensuing word vomit. "Like how someone always tried similar tactics to get more milkshakes at the Crown because they spent all of their money on video games."</p><p>The colour drained from Usagi's face and Mamoru realized he'd taken it too far. <em>Fuck</em>.</p><p>"You know what, Baka? Some of us just want to sleep on a big bed... anddd... just because I sleep here every now and then doesn't mean I'm a thief. And I… I work extra hours off the book s to make up for sleeping here… and... I … and I..." Usagi stuttered and hugged herself as she turned away from him.</p><p>"Usagi, I didn't—"</p><p>"It was really nice seeing you," she muttered. "Old habits die hard, I guess." Usagi flicked one of her streamers behind her back, and stormed off into the bedroom.</p><p>This was bad. <em>How did he fuck this up within a matter of minutes?</em></p><p>A fully dressed Usagi emerged from the room carrying an overly stuffed pink backpack, on the verge of spilling open and marched over to the mini-fridge. She opened it to empty its contents and scowled at him after realizing some of her nikuman was missing.</p><p>As far as Usagi was concerned, this meant war.</p><p>She was back in his life again after so many years. And all he managed to do was scare her, grope her, and steal her food. Worst of all, he called her a <em>thief</em>.</p><p><em>He had to fix this</em>. "Wait, Usa—" In an attempt to explain himself, he reached for her hand but to no avail.</p><p>She moved toward the mini-closet in the genkan in an agile fashion and avoided his gaze. "I hope I haven't completely spoiled your vacation, Mamoru-<em>sama</em>," she voiced with resentment as she took out her boots and jacket.</p><p>
  <em>Sama? Did she just call him 'sama?'  Of all the things to call him by… Why couldn't she just go back to calling him 'Baka?' Or just start calling him a jerk? Or an asshole, even.</em>
</p><p>"Usagi… please don't call me sama—"</p><p>"It's the chalet's policy."</p><p>Mamoru blinked hard; he felt like his head was about to snap. Just mere moments ago, she'd called him Baka! And he wished she would go back to calling him exactly that, because he hated sama.</p><p>"I guess you're still in touch with Motoki, so I'll get him a check to give you for the room." She turned and looked at him with the most aggravated expression that confused him even more. And after fastening her powder-pink parka, she plopped down on the ground, clasped the fluffy white pom-poms and began tugging on her ankle boots.</p><p>"You think I want your money?" <em>Did she think so little of him?</em></p><p>"It will be hard-earned and not stolen. I promise. It will just take me a few months to pay you back after I find a new job." She paused, her eyes full of concern.</p><p>She swayed on her toes, and then continued speaking. "Please leave Minako out of your complaint. I don't want her in trouble for my coming here when she has a friend over. I don't care what happens to me, but please leave Minako out of this." And just when he thought she couldn't think less of him, now she was begging—not for herself, but for her friend.</p><p><em>Did Minako come here when Usagi had someone over?</em>  Mamoru hated the idea of her with someone else.</p><p>Tsukino Usagi was the most wonderful and stubborn woman he had ever met, and it drove him bonkers that she <em>wouldn't stop to hear him out</em>. Guilt and unworthiness clouded inside his head creating a storm. His heart pounded and his head throbbed.</p><p>
  <em>How did she manage to make him always feel so many things and so alive?!</em>
</p><p>Usagi stood, fully dressed in her winter armour. And before he knew it, she'd swung the front door open.</p><p>"Odango, there's no way you'll make it in that snow—"</p><p>She waved bye and closed the door behind her.</p><p>"ARGHHH!" Mamoru cursed at the empty walls. He scrambled to put on his own boots and ran out the door—not caring to put on his jacket or close the door behind him.</p><p>The blaring winds and heavy snowfall scattered the light in the snowy night. He decided to follow the imprints in the snow, which looked as if she'd sunk halfway down into each step. He closed his eyes in frustration, took a deep breath, and followed Usagi's trail of footprints.</p><p>He caught up to an odango-ed figure trying to fish her boots out from the snow. The ridiculousness of the situation caused Mamoru to laugh. It was a belly-aching laugh, and he couldn't recall the last time he had laughed this hard.</p><p>She must have heard his laugh over the wind because Usagi jumped at the sound of his sudden hysteria and fell into the fresh white powder. Her backpack rolled over the snow before sinking in.</p><p>"A little help please?" Her flailing arms were the only part of her that poked out of the snow.</p><p>Mamoru's icy hands reached down and grabbed hers, pulling her up. She slammed hard into his chest as she had done so many times so many, many, many moons ago. And blue met blue <em>again</em>.</p><p>She was absolutely perfect, and Mamoru swallowed his breath.</p><p>Perhaps it was the way the snow collected on her lashes or the way her cheeks flushed or the way the snow reflected light back into the clouds causing the mood lighting, but Mamoru had never seen her look so beautiful.</p><p>"Are you ok?"</p><p>"My feet are cold. My boots are soaked through, but I can make it to my room."</p><p><em>She is so stubborn. </em>"Odango, it's not exactly safe to be out right now."</p><p>Usagi let out a defeated sigh. "Baka, I don't exactly have a lot of options at the moment."</p><p>Mamoru cleared his throat, because he could not believe what he was about to suggest. "The couch is so comfortable and I slept better on it than I do on my bed." He waited for her protest.</p><p>Usagi looked at him in the eyes. "The bed is mine." She let out.</p><p>He let out a nervous chuckle. <em>They'd be sleeping under the same roof, but in different rooms. Nothing is going to happen, baka.</em></p><p>He braced himself for her response to what he was about to tell her next. "I'm going to have to carry you."</p><p>"I <em>can </em>walk." Usagi looked away and rolled her eyes.</p><p>"You might have frostbite. He smirked. "I am sure you want to keep all of your toes." He was thankful to be able to hide behind his instinctive teasing.</p><p>Mamoru fished out her backpack from the snow and threw it over his shoulder. He paused and waited for her response.</p><p>Usagi fiddled with her jacket. "You can carry me." She consented in a sharp tone. He picked her up with ease, and carried her bridal-style in the direction of the cabin.</p><p>She was in his arms for the second time that night. He wanted to make up for his baka-ness over the years, and to prove that maybe one day he would be worthy of her. And if she would let him, he'd show her just how much she had always meant to him.</p><p>She'd gone back to calling him Baka, after all. He smiled wistfully at the feel of her cheek pressed up to his chest and butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the thought of her seeing him in a new light.</p><p>He didn't know how fate had brought them together again, but Chiba Mamoru was not missing this chance to win over Tsukino Usagi's heart.</p><p>°•❄°•°❄°•°❄•°</p><p>
  <em>If you are still here, thank you for taking the time to read this! It was a challenge for me to write from Mamoru's POV and I would love to hear what you think. *BIG RED HEART*</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I want to thank you Daikon. You are an angel and helped make this happen. Without you, I would have been totally lost with this fic. *GIANT RED HEART*</em>
</p>
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